CLEVELAND – Kimberly Shemo is getting ready for one of her favorite times of the day.
Shemo is the music program manager of the Northeast Ohio Boys and Girls Clubs. The position allows her to merge her love for children with her passion for music and entertainment.
She has been with the Boys & Girls Clubs for nine years and has been a Music Director for three months.
The position was created to help lead a new initiative called the Opening track project. It’s a program designed to incorporate music into virtually any type of activity here at Boys and Girls Clubs.
“What we want to do with Opening Track is teach you how to react holistically and when I say holistically, I mean mentally, don’t I? I mean socio and emotionally, â€Shemo said.
With the help of Shemo, children learn to play and interpret music and understand its benefits.
The lineup of music and the opening track isn’t limited to the walls of the Boys and Girls Club. Opening Track is made possible through a partnership.
Some of Northeast Ohio’s most prominent musical institutions, such as the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Cleveland Orchestra, offer degree programs for the program, giving children access to vocal training. and instrumental and will be field trip destinations for on-site activities.
“It’s always good to give back, but it also shows our youth in these underserved communities that there are people and organizations that care about them,†Shemo said.
Shemo, who has a degree in music, said music education can unleash the potential and purpose of these children, just like it has for her.
“I was one of those kids at one point in my life and I was fortunate and fortunate to have adults who came and believed in me,†she said.
